Question and answer game



8, 1956 D. s. AKER v v 2,760,274

QUESTION AND ANSWER GAME Filed June 17, 1953 I 4 Sheets-Sheet l T m A L w- '7? riffl n l I I UU "2i I t: m (n I '1 l 1 L J p-41 0 8 o v r- V M g 2, 9* 13 '2 INVENTOR. David S. Baker- ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 28, 1956 D. s. BAKER- 2,760,274

QUESTION AND ANSWER GAME Filed June 17, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2 \4 INVENTOR. David S. Baker A T TORNE Y5.

Aug. 28, 1956 D. s. BAKER QUESTION AND ANSWER GAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 17, 1953 .tZ-illlll. nil-.x I :Snlal.

mt mini? INVENTOR. David .8. Baker ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 28, 1956 D. s. BAKER 2,760,274

QUESTION AND ANSWER GAME Filed June 17, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 III] v LIE if Q h 0 N INVENTOR. pavid S. Baker ATTORNEYS,

United States Patent QUESTION AND ANSWER GAME David S. Baker, New York, N. Y.

Application June 17, 1953, Serial No. 362,186

10 Claims. (Cl. 35-9) This invention relates to a question and answer game. It may be played by one, or by two players, and the em bodiment of the invention disclosed herein is intended primarily as a contest between two players.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved question and answer game.

Another object of the invention is to provide game apparatus which is positive and dependable in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above identified kind by which a score for one player, or for two players, is automatically cumulated and recorded.

Another object of the invention is to provide game apparatus of the above identified kind which is adapted for coaction with an unlimited selection of cards presenting questions and a selection of answers from which the player makes a selection by operation of the apparatus which automatically indicates whether or not the selection is the correct one, and adds, or subtracts from the players cumulated score.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view in elevation taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 2A is a sectional view in elevation similar to Figure 2 and having the player selector and one answer lever operated;

Figure 3 is a sectional View in plan taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the pointer gears and the operating levers therefor;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a card backing member; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in cross section of a modification of the answer lever assembly means.

The game disclosed herein comprises apparatus including scoring means for recording correct and incorrect selection of an answer from a plurality of answers presented along with a question, and the cumulative result of the leflorts of a player, or the efforts of a plurality of players. A plurality of answer levers are provided equal in number to the total of the one correct and one or more incorrect answers submitted for selection by a player in connection with each of a series of questions submitted to a player.

In the embodiments of the game illustrated herein,

the questions, together with the answers submitted for choice in connection with each question, are set forth on a card and disclosed one by one to a player as the card is intermittently advanced. Sample questions and choice of answers may, for example, be as follows:

Who played the most ball games? 1. Lou Gehrig? 2. Ty Cobb? 3. Babe Ruth? What is the diameter of a golf hole? The player indicates his choice of the answers submitted with each question by depressing the answer lever corresponding to a particular answer. If he thinks No. 1 answer is correct, he depresses No. 1 answer lever; if he thinks No. 2 answer is correct, he depresses No. 2 answer lever, etc.

Cards on which the questions and choice of answers are presented have a plurality of irregularly spaced apertures, which may be holes or slots extending in a num ber of series, equal in number to the number of answers submitted for choice and, therefore, equal also to the number of answer levers. There is one slot in the card for each question and it occurs in the series of slots which register with the particular answer lever corresponding to the correct answer for that question. Each slot is engageable by means controlled by the answer lever related to the series of slots of which it is one, and, when it is engaged (indicating the answer lever corresponding to the correct answer has been actuated) the card is moved forward to present another question, and counter or scoring means are actuated as will be explained. When an answer lever corresponding to an incorrect answer is actuated, the card is not moved forward as there is no corresponding slot in the series of slots engageable by said answer lever, but the counter or scoring means is actuated topenalize the player. The same question remains presented and the player, or his opponent if a plurality of persons are playing the game, proceeds to make a further answer selection.

The game comprises one or more cards 1, each having three parallel series of slots 2a, 2b and 20, extending longitudinally in the center portion of a card, and apparatus in which the cards are inserted and advanced and which coacts with the card as will be explained. Preferably along each lateral margin of each card are two rows of spaced areas or boxes 3, in each of which is a question and three numbered answers to the question, only one answer being the correct answer and the other two being incorrect. In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated herein, the number of boxes along each lateral margin of the card, their arrangement in two rows and the questions and answers in correspondingly positioned boxes is the same, but it will be understood that diflerent sets of questions may be presented along each margin or that questions might be presented in other ways, as, for example, by reading from a separate list in a stated sequence, the card being slotted in accordance with said sequence.

The apparatus coacting with the cards 1 comprises, a base 4 on which the device rests, a guideway comprising the horizontally extending floor 5, supported by walls 4a extending-up from base 4, and shown having three apertures 6a, 6b and 60 therein, disposed laterally of the surface and spaced apart to provide spaces respectively below said three series of slots in cards 1; positioned in the guideway and having a pairof leaf springs 7 disposed between said' aperturesto hold a card 1 against the horizontally extending upper floor 8 supported above floor 5 by said frame side walls 4a, leaving a low, wide space Patented Aug. .28, 6v

between said floors 5 and 8 forming a guideway g into which said cards lare inserted and through which they are advanced as will be described. In the top 8 of said guideway is a cut-out 9 which extends under all, t ree answer lever assemblies,-1whichwill, be, described. Cutout 9 provides spaceintowhich arms26comp1ising said assembliesmay respectively falljwheninregister with a slot in a card 1 positioned, in the .guideway, and, gives access to all of said apertures,6a, 6b and 6c in floor 5 which provide space for the lower ends of saidarmsrespectively when they have respectively dropped into and partly through slots in said card as will be explained.

Resting on the guidewaygand .extendingover the cutout 9 in its top 8 is the operating mechanism case..13, and disposed similarly on opposite sides of said case are two pairs of cut-outs or windows 10, each cut-out being substantially equal in sizetoa question andanswer containing box 3 on said cards. The inner row of boxes 3 along one margin of a,card.,registers with the innerwindow of the pair of windowswhich are above that margin of a card, and the outer. row of bOXes 3a1ong thatmargin of the card registers with the outer window of said pair. The inner window alongeaehmargin is shown staggered one-half a window length ahead ofithe outer window, and the cards are advanced a one-half Window length at a time in order that more setsof questions-and answers may be provided on each card.

In the upper and rear' walls of case 13 are threeslots 14 through which respectively extend three identicaltoperating or answer levers 15 by means of which a players selection of answers to a question is made. Levers 15 are pivoted on' the shaft 16, which is biased bysprings 18 to move said levers toward their upper positions. Levers 15 are spaced from one another on.shaft.16by spring cases 17. Levers 15 are in'the form of 'bellcranks and are respectively attached .to identical sliding assemblies 20. Each sliding assembly 20 comprisesacarrierZl. having adjacent its rear end a vertical slot 22' in which-is slidingly engaged the pin 19by which, lever 15 isjoined to said carrier. Each carrier-21 also has-two horizontally aligned slots 23a and 23b and travels on apair of portage rods 24a and 24b which'passthrough said slots 23a.and 23b respectively and are fixed to the sides of the case 13. An arm 25 for operating scoring, means, pivotedto each carrier 21 by the pivot 25a'locatedjust forward of the vertical slot 22, andthe card movingarm 26 is also pivotally supported on pivot 25a. 1

In rest position (Figure 2) the lower edge of ar-m 26v rests on rod 24b and a spring 28, joined between 21a on carrier 21 and a flange stop ;27a.on arm 26, tends to force arm 26downwardly. A second spring 29 afiixedat one end to the lower edge of arm 25 engages the arm*26 with its free end and tendsto spread the two arms 25 and 26 and to force the upper edge of the arm 25 against the flange stop 27b on arm 26. As the sliding assembly 20 travels forward, the spring 28 drawsthe arm 26 downwardly, carrying the arm 25 with it until the flange 27a bears against the carrier 21, thereby limiting-the angular v movement.

If a card 1 is in guideway g and the lever 15 corresponding to the correct answer is depressed, the forward ends of arm 26 of the lever assembly will pass throug h 4 its upper path and engage and actuate the swinging yoke 31.

The yokes 36 and 31 are, pivoted on a rod r extending across said case 13 and are limited in one direction of travel, i. e. rearwardly or counterclockwise, by a rod 2 extending across said case. and one end arm of each yoke. engages pivot rod r and the other end arm has a laterally projecting portion providing a pivot connection to a pair of armsfor actuating means for keeping individual cumulative ,scores for a plurality of players; The yokes are oppositely disposed so that portion 30a of yoke 3t! to which arms 32-and 33 are pivotally connected is at the opposite end of rod r from portion 31a of yoke 31-to which-arms 34 and 35 are connected. (Each yoke has a hooked portion, 30a and 31a respectively, at one end and to said hooked portions are pivotally joined the pairs of arms 32, 33 and 34, 35 respectively.) The forward endsof said arms. are yieldingly urged by springs 321:,330. 3.4a and;35a.-respectively to rotate upwardly to engage the counter, gears bycwhich each players score is automatically recordedas; will'be, explained. The springs 32a -35a not. only.:-tendto.hold the yokes 30 and 31 against the, stop i, but also servetohold the arms 32, 33, 34-,and 35 resp e,ctively againstcam plates 38a, 39a, 38b and 39b, mounted on arotatable shaft. 42 extending through the side walls of case 13. The cam plates 39a and 39b are disposed at the same angle and are adjacent opposite ends-of said shaft. The cam plates- 38a and 38b are disposed on shaft40/inwardly withrespect to said cam plates 39a and 3911 respectively, and are. disposed at the same angle relative to each other and at a rotary angle of 180relative'to the cam plates-39a and 3917 when shaft 42 is at rest.

At opposite ends of shaft 42, outside ofcase 13, are the players selector. levers 40 and 41 which serve respectively to release the pair of arms 32 and 34, or the-pair of arms 33 and 35, to actuate, either clockwise or coun terclockwise, gear 46 or gear- 47, to move pointer--44 orpointer 45 over a calibrated surface on top .of case- 13 to automatically keep score as will be described.

The gears 46 and 47 are held to the bottom surfaceof the top 'of the case 13 by an'arrn 48whichalsosupportsretaining springs 49 whose free-ends engage'the teeth of said gears respectivelyto prevent the gears fromrotating' freely. The plates 50 supported from the top of case 13 partially shield gears 46 and 47' to prevent premature or accidental operation of the countermechanism; A

hub 46a on gear 46 extends through case 13 and-has afiixed thereon pointer arm or indicator 44. Rotatably; mounted on hub 46a is a collar 47a which also extends through the wall of case 13 and interconnects gear 47 and pointer 45. The said pointers rotate over acalibrated surface on top of case 13 comprising thedial 43;

In operation, a player first depresses and continues to holddown either lever 40 or- 41. If, for example, lever. 40 is depressed, cam plates 39a and 39b engage arms 33 and 35 and-hold them down in inoperative position. If lever 41 is depressed, cam plates 38a and'38b engagethe arms32 and 34 and hold them down in inoperative posia slot 3 provided in the series of. slots. in ,cardlwith, which tion. The front ends :of the pair of arms which remain in operative position rest on the plates 50' respectively. When a player makes his selection of an answer by, depressing a lever 15, the attached slider assembly 20 is actuated and the arm 25 therefore engages either yoke 30 or yoke 31 depending upon whether the selection is correct or incorrect.

Assume it is the turn of the player identifiediby lever 40; Should he depress the lever 15 indicating the correct choice of answers to a question, arm 25 assoeiated with operated; there; will be no registering slot s-in the cardl thatlever 15 will assume its lower position,,because its associated arm 26 will have dropped into a slot'sin the card 1 which is in the apparatus, and the forward end of arm'25 will engage yoke 31} which carries arms 32 and 33, which, when advanced in operative position, rotate said gears 46-and 47 respectively, by which-pointers 44 The yokes are U-shaped and 45 are respectively rotated, clockwise'to record a positive score. Both of said arms 32 and 33 will accordingly be advanced, but since arm 33 is being held down by cam plate 39a and is, therefore, inoperative, only arm 32 and tooth 32b thereon will engage gear 46, thereby moving the pointer 44 clockwise to indicate a positive score for the player using player-selector lever 40.

If, however, the player identified with lever 40, gear 46 and pointer 44 makes the wrong choice of answers by depressing a lever corresponding to a wrong answer, the gear 46 and the pointer 44, are turned counterclockwise by arm 34, the tooth 34b on which engages said gear. The arm associated with the selected lever 15 will assume its upper position because its associated arm 26 will not have registered with a slot in card 1 and consequently will not have dropped down. Accordingly, arm 25 will engage yoke 31 which carries arms 34 and 35 which serve respectively to operate gears 46 and 47 counterclockwise to record a negative score. Both of said arms 34 and 35 will accordingly be advanced, but since arm 35 is being held down by cam plate 3% and is, therefore, inoperative, only arm 34 is operative and will engage gear 46, thereby moving it in counterclockwise direction.

When a second player takes his turn, be rotates or depresses the player selector lever 41 to actuate the apparatus, including the means for scoring his play. This movement of lever 41 renders operative the arms 33 and 35 controlling the scoring mechanism identified with that player selector lever. Actuation of lever 41 rotates cross rod 42 in a direction to cause cam plates 38a and 38b to depress arms 32 and 34 and rend erthem inoperative and cause cam plates 39a and 39b to release arms 33 and 35, allowing their free front ends to rise against the plates 50 respectively. When the second player now chooses and depresses an answer lever 15, the arm 25 associated with it engages either the yoke or the yoke 31, depending upon whether or not the selection is correct, thereby causing tooth 33b on arm 33 or tooth b on arm 35 to engage gear 47 to rotate it either clockwise or counterclockwise, as has been explained above in connection with gear 46, thereby rotating the pointer arm 35 connected to gear 47 and causing it to indicate or record either a positive or negative score. The position of the two pointers 44 and 45 indicates at all times the net scores accumulated by the players respectively. By the means illustrated herein each pointer is moved backwards to record an incorrect answer.

The direction of movement of a players pointer 44, 45 thus indicates with each play whether or not a correct answer has been selected. Another indication is provided by the card 1 which is moved forward each time a question is correctly answered, thus bringing into full view through a window 10 the next question and choice of answers. It will be noted that the lower end of each arm 26 is shaped to engage the leading edge of a slot into which it falls when the answer selected by depression of the lever 15 with which it is associated, is correct. Since the arm 26 moves into the slot at the beginning of the forwardly sliding movement of member 21 and its associated arms 25 and 26, the said engagement between the lower end of arm 26 and the leading edge of the slot propels the card 1 forwardly a distance equal to the extent of the sliding movement of member 21. Arm 26 is withdrawn from the slot when the answer lever 15, by which it is controlled, is released and returned to starting position by the spring means which has been described.

in Figure 5 a card backing and strengthening member 52 is shown. It has ears 53 adjacent its leading edge against which the leading edge of a card may be positioned and the assembly of card and member 52 may then be inserted in guideway g. The slots 54 in member 52 are spaced apart the distance between successive slots in card 1 (in any of the three series of slots) which as illustrated herein is one-half the length of a window 10 and their leading edges register with the leading edges of the card slots respectively. The arms 26 of the answer key assemblies 15 pass freely those slots 54 into the card slots with which they respectively register, the edges of the slots and particularly the leading edgm serving to protect the slots from tearing or becoming worn from contact with arms 26.

In Figure 6 a modification of the answer lever assembly means for advancing the card upon selection of the correct answer lever, and desirably but not necessarily also actuating scoring means, is shown. In this embodiment an answer lever 55 comprising a bell crank portion 56 is shown pivoted within housing 57 on pivot rod 58.

The lower end of the bell crank portion 56 is connected by pivot 60 to an arm 62 which has on its lower surface the tooth 64 which, when it is moved forward by lever 55 being depressed, slides on the surface of a card 1 and does not act to move the card forward unless it encounters an aperture s. In that event the tooth 64 drops into the aperture during the first part of the forward motion of slider 62 and consequently engages the card and moves it forward a distance corresponding to the remainder of the forward movement of slider 62. The tooth 64, the trailing edge of which is sloping, is disengaged from the aperture and again rides up on top of the card when the card is again moved forward by the correct selection of some other answer lever assembly. When tooth 64 on arm 62 registers with and drops into a slot s arm 62 takes its lower position and can be utilized also to actuate swinging yoke 30 of the score indicating means described above. When tooth 64 does not encounter a slot s (indicating selection of an incorrect answer lever) arm 62 is maintained in its upper position and can be utilized to actuate swinging yoke 31 of the score indicating means described above.

To prevent a player feeding with an answer key or lever to try to tell whether the tooth 64 of a slider 62 has fallen into a slot s in the card by the resistance to movement of the answer lever caused by engagement of tooth 64 with the edge of the slot (which would indicate a correct selection) I provide a lost-motion slot 63 at the lower end of bell crank 56. Upon an answer lever 55 being depressed the bell crank portion 56 swings, without advancing arm 62, while slot 63 moves past pivot 60. Only when the upper end of slot 63 engages pivot 60 is the arm 62 advanced and by that time a player is committed to his selection.

It will be understood that it is within the contemplation of this invention that instead of moving the card through a horizontal plane relative to the answer selecting means and the scoring means relative movement between the card and said means may be obtained in a variety of ways, as for example by supporting the card on a rotatable member and causing coaction of said card and means to rotate said member, and the word guideway is used herein in a broad sense including a curved path as well as a horizontal path.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention an apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, guide means, a card slidably engaging said guide means, said card being divided into zones each containing a question accompanied by a plurality of suggested answers of which one is correct, a

key assembly corresponding to'each answer, a counterdial, a pluralityof means movable over said dial and moved inone direction by actuation of the correct answer key assembly for indicating selection of the correct answer, and moved in the opposite direction by actuation of any other key assembly for indicating selection of a wrong answer, and means for rendering inoperative one of each of said pluralities of means.

2. A question and answer game including a plurality of key assemblies for indicating selection of one of severalanswers presented with a question to a player, a guideway positioned in operative relation to said key assemblies, a card movable through said guideway, a scoring indicator movable in opposite directions to indie cate a positive or a negative score, means controlled'by actuation of the correct key assembly to move said counter in one direction, and means controlled by, actuation of an incorrectkey assembly to move said'scoring indicator in the opposite direction.

3, In combination, guide means, a card slidably engaging said guide means, said card being divided'into zones, each zone having means corresponding to a correct answer to a question corresponding to said zone, key means corresponding respectively to each of a plurality of answers to a question, and means controlled by actuation of the correct answer key means for engaging and advancing said card one step, scoring means, and other means controlled by actuation of a correct or an incorrect answer key means respectively for actuating said scoring means either positively or negatively.

4. In combination, guide means, a card slidably engaging said guide means, said card being divided-into zones, each zone having means corersponding to a correct answer to a question corresponding to said Zone, key means corresponding respectively to each of a plurality of answers to a question, and means controlled by actuation of the correct answer key means for engaging and advancing said card one step, including a plurality of center means, and a plurality of'means for actuating said counter means respectively, each means comprising said plurality of actuating means being responsive to each actuation of a key means, andmeans for rendering ineliective one of said plurality of means.

5. A question and answer game including, a plurality of key assemblies for indicating selection of one of several answers presentedjwith a question to a player, a guideway positioned in operative relation to said key assemblies, a card movable through said guideway and having a plurality of series of apertures equal in number to the number of said key assemblies, there being one aperture for each correct answer and said apertures being in a sequence corresponding to the sequence of questions propounded to a player and respectively in a series related to the key assembly indicating selection of the correct answer corresponding to said aperture, saidassembly comprising means coacting with said aperture to engage the card and move it forward one step upon selection of. the correct answer assembly, scoring means for eachof a plurality of players, two sets of means; each separately responsive to the selection of a correct answer key assembly to actuate said scoring means respectively, meansfor disconnecting one set of responsive means from the scoring means for one player, and means for connecting the otherset of responsive means to the scoring means 'for' another player. I

6. In combination, guide means, a card slidably engaging said guide means, said card being divided into zones corresponding to a number of questions, each zone having means correspondingto a correct answer to a question corresponding to said zone, key means corresponding to ea-chanswer, means movable in one direction to indicate selection of a correct answer and movable in another direction to indicate selection of an incorrect answer, means controlled by actuation of the correct answer key means for moving said indicator means in one direction, and means controlled by the actuation of an incorrect answer key means for moving said indicating means in said'other direction.

7. The device claimed in claim 6 in which a plurality of indicating means are provided each operable for movement in one direction byactuation of a correct answer key means and operable for movement in the opposite direction by actuation of an incorrect answer key means, andmeans for selectively rendering inactive one of said indicating means;

8. A- question and answer game, in combination, a

plurality of key assemblies operable'to indicate correctv selection of one of several answers presented with a ques tion to a player, a guideway positioned in operative relation to said key assemblies, a card movable throughsaid guideway and having apertures corresponding to said answers, the aperture'corresponding to the correct answeradapted to receive an element of a key assembly, a scoring indicator movable in opposite directions to indicate a positive or negative score, means controlled by actuation of a key assembly upon selection of the correct answer to move said indicator in one direction, and means operatively associated vw'th said indicator and coacting with said card to move saidindicator in the opposite direction upon selection of an incorrect answer.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said element comprises an'arm .pivotally mountedon said key assemblyso asto-be movable by gravity into said correct aperture.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said card has a plurality of zonesof apertures, the apertures in each zone being so arranged that only one of them will'receive said element upon selection of the correct answer.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,670,480 Pressey May 22, 1928 1,749,226 Pressey Mar. 4, 1930 2,317,107 Oesch Apr. 20, 1943 2,401,434 Mills June 4, 1946 2,564,089 Williams et al Aug. 14, 1951 

